Spurs target Carson: It's Villa for me

Carson is on loan at Villa but will join the Midlanders on a permanent basis in six weeks time after Liverpool boss Rafa Benitez yesterday cleared the path for a £10million move, ending any hopes Tottenham had of signing him.

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The former Leeds United keeper said: "Martin O'Neill has been different class since I have been at Aston Villa. He has helped bring a new level of confidence to my game.

"When I got sent off against Manchester United in September he stuck with me when he didn't have to. That really lifted my spirits and helped my confidence grow.

"It really made a big difference and hopefully I can repay him. He has loads of enthusiasm which he passes along to his players and you can see that by the way we have been playing in the past few weeks."

And he believes he will be joining team which can qualify for a place in next season's UEFA Cup when he added: "I said when I first went to Villa that we could be in the mix for a top six finish and if we can continue playing the way we are then I'm sure we can qualify for Europe."